Patti Austin is the vocalist on Rod Temperton’s  “Turn On The Action,” which appears on Quincy Jones’ 1981 album The Dude. Austin’s smooth delivery had years of preparation, as she had been working with Jones since she was nine years old. Jones, who referred to Austin as his goddaughter, had nurtured her jazz roots, which gave her impeccable vocal control and a depth of interpretation in the lyrics. “Turn On The Action” was about the process of love, and Austin’s voice was coy and bold at the same time as she captured the complex feelings of a romantic invitation. She was in good company, as Jones had assembled Herbie Hancock, Paulinho da Costa, Greg Phillinganes and Louis Johnson amongst the song’s players. Michael Jackson, who Austin duetted with on “It’s The Falling In Love” from his 1979 Off The Wall album, did not sing backing vocals on “Turn On The Action,” but he did appear on the album’s title track.

Austin’s contributions to The Dude were some of her most successful moments, as she was also featured on the popular “Razzamatazz” and “Betcha Wouldn’t Hurt Me.”  “Turn On The Action” was the simmering dance floor closing song on the album that was heard a bit on Black radio. The song was the pure definition of the lesser-known but excellent album cut, reserved for true fans willing to hear The Dude in its entirety. Austin’s For Ella, Vol. 2, was released in 2023. In 2024, Austin was honored with a lifetime achievement award from SFJazz. 

Michael McDonald’s “Sweet Freedom” first appeared on the 1986 Running Scared soundtrack.Rod Temperton, who became famous for writing songs for Michael Jackson, among others, wrote “Sweet Freedom.”  Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal played Chicago cops determined to stop a rising drug lord with unconventional methods. Temperton was given complete control of the movie’s music and his hands gave the cop buddy more movement with sounds that were benchmarks of the ’80s. “Sweet Freedom’s” synthesizers, horn announcements and McDonald’s soulful lead were definitive of the decade. McDonald’s 1985 sophomore album No Lookin’ Back was re-released in 1986 with “Sweet Freedom” which had become one of the biggest songs of the year. 

Michael McDonald’s ninth solo album Wide Open was relased in 2017. He appeared on Thundercat’s “Show You The Way” with Kenny Loggins also in 2017. In 2022, McDonald is scheduled to perform at Zappos Theater in Las Vegas with his old band the Doobie Brothers. 

 

Keith Wilder, a member of ’70s’ disco/funk band Heatwave died Sunday at age 65. Heatwave was one of the premier bands of the ’70s because of hits like “Boogie Nights,” “Always And Forever” and “The Groove Line.” The band was started by Wilder’s brother Johnny who was stationed in Germany and formed the band after his discharge from the Army. He called Keith over from their native Dayton, Ohio to finish the lineup. It was during Johnny’s relocation to the United Kingdom that he was able to meet the great songwriter Rod Temperton who became the group’s organ player. By 1976, their first album, Too Hot To Handle was released and the Heatwave legend began. Temperton eventually left the group to focus on songwriting but he wrote all of the songs on their first two albums except “Happiness Togetherness” and “Mind Blowing Decision” which were written by Johnny Wilder Jr. Too Hot To Handle was followed by Central Heating in 1978 and they were well into their stardom. At the height of their career, they sold out Madison Square Garden. The band’s luck changed in 1979 when Johnny was paralyzed in a car accident and could no longer use his falsetto that drew fans and made “Always And Forever” an essential wedding and Quiet Storm classic. They had their last popular success with the single “Gangsters Of The Groove” before disbanding in the ’80s’. Rappers like Big Daddy Kane who sampled “Ain’t No Half-Steppin'” started to keep their name alive. The Wilder Brothers recorded the gospel album Sound On Soul after the breakup of Heatwave. Keith restarted the band in 1991 the same year that a remix of “Mind Blowing Decision” reignited their popularity in the UK. Johnny Wilder Jr. died in 2006 and Rod Temperton passed last year.

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Songwriter/producer/musician Rod Temperton died last week at the age of 66 after falling ill with Cancer. Temperton wrote some of the biggest R&B songs of the ’70s and ’80’s but he is most famous for his work with Michael Jackson. The British native wrote “Rock With You,” “Off The Wall,” “Thriller” and “The Lady In My Life” for Jackson’s Off The Wall and Thriller albums. He also penned songs for so many others including Patti Austin, Heatwave, The Brothers Johnson, Mica Paris, George Benson, Donna Summer, Rufus, Jeffrey Osborne, Siedah Garret and more. Quincy Jones reached out to Temperton and asked him to work on Jackson’s biggest solo albums with him. Temperton won a Grammy for “Birdland” from Jones’s Back On The Block album and was nominated for two Oscars because of their work on The Color Purple soundtrack.  Temperton was called “The Invisible Man” because he kept a low profile throughout his entire career. Listen to an interview with Temperton and some of his songs below. A few years ago the BBC 2 did a documentary on Rod Temperton you can listen to here.

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